


Don't Stand So Close To Me

by AnneMcSommers



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, No beta: we die like men, Post-Season/Series 01, Touch Aversion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-14 17:16:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18952504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneMcSommers/pseuds/AnneMcSommers
Summary: After 45 years alone in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Five isn't used to being touched anymore, not that he ever really liked it in the first place.  The rest of his siblings got the hint and kept their distance...except Klaus. Set 2 months post season 1 in an AU in which everything is the same except stopping Vanya doesn't cause the moon to explode.





	Don't Stand So Close To Me

Five was, for lack of a better word, irritated. 

"STOP IT."

"Stop what?" Klaus asked, looking confused. Five had been working on some calculations when Klaus came in and put a hand on his shoulder. Five shrugged it off, and decided that enough was enough.

"Stop touching me. God, what's wrong with you. Everyone else gets it. I don't like being touched, I have NEVER liked being touched, and in case you were wondering, spending 45 years alone in a post-apocalyptic wasteland didn't change that. Why Klaus? Why can't you get that?"  
There was silence for a moment before Klaus answered, in a whisper so low that if that house hadn't been empty, Five wouldn't have been able to hear.

"I need to know that you're here"

Five gave him a weird look "So do the rest of them, they look Klaus, with their eyes, not their fingers. You can see me, I am here"  
Klaus looked Five right in the eye "So is Ben"

Five opened his mouth the make a retort, but nothing came out. What do you even say to that? 

Klaus took advantage of the silence to continue, pacing his arms waving for emphasis. "I see him all the time. I know everyone thinks I couldn't before because I was always high, but I could. I can see him all the time, and he looks just like he did the last time I saw him, same age, same god damn outfit."

"Klaus" Five started, but was interrupted by Klaus continuing waving his hand as if to shush Five.

"You know I tried to summon you every day after you left. Not just when Dad or the others gave up and started asking, but every day after you left. Because I knew, I knew you had to be dead. I knew you were dead because otherwise you would have come back. So you had to be dead because you didn't come. And you promised" Klaus was near tears at this point, his voice breaking on the word promised.

"What?"

"You promised me, do you remember? We were kids and we were playing hide and seek, or escape and evade whatever, it was one of dads fucked up training games, and you jumped, and I couldn't find you, and I freaked out cause I thought you were gone forever. Dad was pissed I was crying, and I got in shit. But that night you jumped into my room after lights out and you promised me you would always come back. And you did, until you didn't, and I knew you had to be dead because you promised me you would come back and you NEVER broke a promise, but you didn't come back" Klaus was crying now, fat tears rolling down his face. 

"You think I didn't TRY to get back?" Five interrupted, furious. "I tried every day! It was weeks before I could jump more than a few blocks. I did everything to come back, and your pissed I broke some sort of promise, Christ Klaus, grow up"

"I get it ok, I get you couldn't come back, I know that NOW, but I didn't then. I thought you were mad at me" Klaus swiped at his tears with back of his hand.

Five was confused "What does me being mad have to do with any of this"

"The morning that you left I came into your room and you were working on some equation, and I startled you, and you jumped, and I spilt my water all over your book, and you flipped. Like were super pissed, said I ruined everything and you hated me. Then you were gone. And I kept trying to summon you and you wouldn't come"

"I didn't come, because I wasn't dead" Five said slowly enunciating each word condescendingly. God Klaus could be slow sometimes.

"Ya, but I knew you were dead right, because you didn't come back, and that meant you were dead. But there were ghosts before that I tried to summon for dad, and they always had to choose to come, and if they don't want to they don't have to, and I thought. I thought you wouldn't come because you were mad at me. So I kept trying every day because maybe someday you would get over it. And you didn't, and I hated it. You know what it feels like, knowing that I could see you again, but I couldn't because I fucked it up. Dad told me I couldn't see you because I was worthless, and I knew he was right"

"Klaus" Five interrupted, startled.

"No, let me finish. I knew he was right, and I didn't want him to be, so I made a reason you couldn't see me" Klaus admitted with a shrug, sitting on the bed.

"How?" Five was confused now, how could Klaus have made a reason?

"Started to drink more, tried drugs, did a lot of drugs. I knew they blocked my powers and if I was high, and if I couldn't see you when I was high it was because my powers weren't working, not cause you didn't want to see. Until"

"Until what?" Five asked quietly. At this point he had to admit, he wasn't sure that he even wanted the answer.

"Until Ben died. He turned up when I was drunk, and high, and there wasn't enough drugs to drown him out and I knew that I couldn't see you because of me. And by then there wasn't any reason to stop, because I really was worthless, a fucking homeless junkie. I tried calling everyone you know, Diego, Allison, Luther, even Vanya, and no one fucking answered. Then that book came out, and I realized that was how they all thought of me too, fucking worthless junkie. And I still couldn't see you and i tried. Every . Fucking. Day. I was trying even when I was pretending to summon dad.

And then you were here. But everyone else said they could see you. And I get it, you don't like when I touch you. But you are standing there looking the way you did the last time I saw you down to the god damn weather inappropriate shorts, standing right beside Ben, looking just as real, and I can't not touch you, because I don't know how else to be sure you aren't really dead. 

How the fuck else do I tell if you didn't just get over it, cause there is this minute in the morning I forget you came back and I try and summon you and then you are here looking like that and I am sorry, ok, I'll try to stop, I really will, but I, can I, " Klaus reached out toward Five, but pulled his hand back just short of touching him. "Sorry, I won't, i just, I'll go, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad, I" Klaus used the back of the hello hand to swipe at his tears, and made to stand, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Five had closed the distance between them.

"I'm sorry Klaus"

"For what?" Klaus was the one that with the confused look now, and Five realised he didn't understand.

"For not coming back, for forgetting I promised, for forgetting about your powers, about forgetting how you have problems telling the living from the dead sometimes. I tried to come back, I really did, and I will try harder now that I am back, okay?"

"To come back? But you're here?"

"To be here for you. Its been a long time since I was around people Klaus. I worked for the commission, but that was a job full of messages on paper. I forgot how to be a person, fuck Klaus, my name is a number, I don't think I ever really learned how to be a person. But I will try to do better okay? "Five's face was scrunched up, and it looked like it was hurting him to say this.

"Okay" Five stared for a moment. He had forgotten how incredibly forgiving Klaus could be.

"Now, is there anything I can do, you know, for you?" Five asked Klaus awkwardly.

"Don't leave me again?" Klaus asked. Five could tell from the look on his face that he didn't expect Five to go along with it.  
"I won't" Five said, saddened by the surprise on Klaus's face.

"Promise?" Klaus asked, sounding hopeful and far more like the 13 year old he remembered than the 30 yr old Klaus now was.

"I promise" Five answered. He took a deep breath in, and let it out, and braced himself. Klaus looked confused, as Five leaned towards him slowly. He reached out and hugged Klaus. It felt...strange. Five knew he was too stiff, and Klaus was warm and perfectly still for a moment. Then Five felt Klaus's arms come around him. They stayed like that for a minute and then just when Five was about to let go, it was like Klaus melted. Five felt Klaus's weight shift onto him as he felt every muscle in Klaus's body relax revealing just how much tension he had been holding. Then the arms tightened around him hard and Klaus's chin dug into his shoulder, and then his face into Five's neck. And then it wasn't so awkward. It was...nice. 

Five didn't know how long they stayed like that, but eventually a thought occurred to him.

"Klaus?" He asked.

"Hmmm," Klaus mumbled into his shoulder.

"What were you doing here in the first place?"

"What?" Klaus sounded confused, as he pulled away from Five.

"When you came here, you looked like you were going to say something, and then I interrupted you. Was there something you came for?" Klaus scrunched up his face, and then focused on something behind Five.

"Oh, ya, we were all going to go out for dinner later tonight, and I said I would come up and see if you wanted to go?"

Five turned his head and saw nothing behind him. "Is Ben here?"

"Ya"

"Was he here the entire time?" Five asked, looking around even though he knew he wouldn't be able to see Ben.

Klaus looked pensive for a moment. "I am not sure really, I wasn't paying attention."

Five smiled, "So nothing new then"

Klaus huffed standing up, and twirling away dramatically. "You wound me." Klaus headed towards the door.

Five called out stopping him before he got too far past the door. "Hey Klaus."

"Whaaaat?" Klaus dragged out, using a put upon tone.

"Are you going to dinner tonight?" Five asked.

"Ya, why?" Klaus asked.

"Then I am too." It was an impulsive decision, committing him to spending 2-3 hours jammed at some restaurant being treated like a kid by some waitress and listening to his family bitch. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it. Then just as he was about to tell Klaus he changed his mind, Klaus smiled at him, his whole face lighting up. 

It made Five both happy and very sad. Happy that he made Klaus so happy and sad that it took so little to make his brother happy, and yet he wasn't happy very often.

"Come get me when its time?" Five asked.

"Yes sure, you betcha." Klaus replied, dancing out of Five's room. Five sighed, as he looked over at his book or calculations. He was really going to have to try harder with Klaus. Even if dinner was going to be absolutely miserable.

**Author's Note:**

> This got stuck in my head, took forever to find a place for it. A one-shot for now. May expand on the further Five-Klaus interactions later. Deliberately wrote this from the Five perspective so that I didn't have to deal with Ben. He may or may not have been there. For now its up to you.


End file.
